Free Boots and Buckles by Myla Jackson Page A

happy.”
    “Thanks.” He turned toward his truck.
    “Grant?”
    He swung around.
    She pulled her hat from her head and slapped it against her thigh. “If things fall through, you know where to find me.”
    “Again, thanks.” He tipped his hat and climbed into the truck, thinking about Tacey, not Mona. Here she was offering advice to him on how to get another girl and following up with an offer to be second-choice.
    The woman was sexy in a girl-next-door way, and she had a big heart to want to help him with Mona. Tacey deserved to be a man’s first pick.
    As Grant drove away, he glanced in his mirror. Tacey still stood where he’d left her, her long slim legs looking even longer in the tight-fitting jeans, the sun glinting off her hair, making it lighter, like a golden halo.
    He stopped at PJ’s Diner and collected the picnic lunch he’d ordered over the phone, then he drove down Main Street to the Shear Safari. The last time he’d been there, Mona had been renting a booth from an older stylist. According to Audrey at the Ugly Stick, the older stylist had retired and Mona now ran the business.
    The sun beat down on him hot and bright. He tipped his cowboy hat lower on his forehead and stepped through the door, carrying the brown paper bag with their lunch inside, a bell overhead announcing his entry.
    It took several moments for Grant’s eyes to adjust. Everything inside the shop appeared dark after being out in the bright, sunlit day.
    Mona looked up, a comb in one hand, a can of hairspray in the other. She squinted and smiled. “Sam? Is that you? Can’t tell, the sun’s really bright behind you.” Redirecting her attention to her customer, she lifted the woman’s hair with the comb, fluffing it, then she aimed the can of spray and gave the style a light misting. “I thought I told you I’d talk to you later tonight. I have a customer during lunch.”
    A sharp pain knifed through his heart. She’d arranged to meet Sam later.
    Grant pulled in a long breath and let it out before speaking. “I’m not Sam. I’m your next customer.”
    Her hand stilled and the comb slipped from her fingers, clattering against the tile floor. “Grant?”
    “Love the cut, Mona. All us girls need to look our finest for rodeo week at the Ugly Stick. The better we look, the better the men tip.” The woman in the chair winked at Grant. “Don’t mind me, I’m done here.” She dug in her purse, pulled out a wad of bills and laid them on the counter in front of her. “Put me down for six weeks from now, same day, same time.”
    “I will,” Mona said, her voice fading off. “Thank you, Libby. See you tonight at the Ugly Stick?”
    “Absolutely. We’ll need all the help we can get to handle the rodeo crowd.” Libby nodded at Grant as she passed, her gaze taking him in with one long sweep of her eyes. “Nice. I hope to see you there too.”
    Mona frowned. “And what would Mark and Luke think of that comment?”
    She shrugged. “I don’t know, why don’t you ask them tonight? They promised to be there to help out.” Libby winked at Grant and blew a kiss toward Mona. “See ya tonight, honey.”
    The doorbell jangled and Libby disappeared, leaving Grant alone for the first time in three years with the woman he’d dreamed about all that time.
    Mona set the hairspray down, retrieved the comb from the floor and grabbed a broom. “You can sit in the other chair while I sweep up this hair.”
    Grant set the bag on the counter. “I didn’t come for a haircut, but I’d be glad to pay for it anyway.”
    The sweeping stopped and she stood with her hands resting on the top of the broom handle, her face guarded. “Then why did you come?”
    “I brought you lunch and wanted a chance to talk to you. To explain.”
    She turned away and started sweeping again, only faster this time. “You have nothing to explain. And if you’re not here for a haircut, I’m going out to lunch.”
    He reached out and caught her arm. “You